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This beautiful pumpkin and chocolate cake boasts gorgeous flavours of autumn and will be the most memorable finish to your Thanksgiving dinner.
This cake makes a great addition to any Thanksgiving celebration. Find all the recipe ideas you need in our Thanksgiving Recipe Collection!
I’m a huge fan of finishing any holiday meal with a bang. The appearance of a big show-stopping dessert is when a meal goes from a bit of fun to a real celebration!
The inspiration for this cake came when I was getting ready for a Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends. I wanted to make something a bit more spectacular than we would normally have.
I knew where I needed to start because my family would revolt if dessert did not have spiced pumpkin somewhere. But I also wanted chocolate because moist, dark chocolate cake is the sort of decadent dessert I can really get excited about!
It may not be not be obvious, but pumpkin and chocolate make a fantastic combination, like with this Pumpkin Pie with Chocolate Swirl! The combination of silky chocolate and spiced pumpkin with make you swoon, especially when layered with luxurious mascarpone frosting!
Pumpkin and chocolate cake
I made this cake for a special occasion, which is why it has a bit more happening than with some cakes. To make this celebratory cake I combined two of my favourite cake recipes and invented a new favourite frosting.
It has two layers of Chocolate Stout Cake and two layers of Spiced Pumpkin Cake. I brushed each layer with a combination of Demerara sugar and the beautiful flavour of Sloe Gin syrup.
The frosting makes me really happy! It is light and fluffy mascarpone frosting with maple and cinnamon. A dream!
If you are like me and are wondering whether spiced pumpkin and chocolate go together you have to make this cake. Make it, make it, make it! This cake boasts all the gorgeous flavours of autumn and will be the most beautiful finish to your Thanksgiving dinner.
Recipe notes
- To make sure your cake is beautifully frosted always start with a crumb coat. Cover your cake with a thin layer of frosting to seal all crumbs and put it in the fridge for 20-30 minutes to chill. Then finish it off with more frosting and whatever design you choose.
- Some brands of mascarpone (especially mascarpone available in America) may separate when made into this frosting. To prevent this from happening, combine both mascarpone and cream when well chilled and do not over beat. If the problem persists, try whipping the heavy cream first, then folding it into the mascarpone.
More cake recipes
- Black Forest Cake
- Christmas Chocolate Cake
- Black and White Chocolate Cake
- Naked Cake with Mascarpone Cream and Crushed Strawberries
Spiced Pumpkin and Chocolate Cake with Maple Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Stout Cake layers
- 1/3 cups / 80 ml Guinness or other stout
- 2 tbsp strong black coffee
- 1/2 cup / 115 g unsalted butter
- 1/3 cups / 45 g unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 cup / 130 g all purpose flour
- 1 cup / 130 g sugar
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml creme fraiche/sour cream
For the Spiced Pumpkin Cake layers
- 1 cup + 2 tbsp / 130 g flour
- 2/3 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp mixed pumpkin spice, (nutmeg, cloves, ginger)
- 2/3 cup / 160 ml vegetable oil
- 2/3 cup / 135 g granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, large
- 7 oz / 200 g pumpkin purée
For the syrup
- 1/4 cup / 60 ml simple syrup, sugar and water in equal parts
- 2 tbsp sloe gin or damson gin, not regular gin
For the Maple Cinnamon Frosting
- 2 cups / 500 g Italian mascarpone
- 1 cup / 130 g icing sugar
- 1 tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp This is an affiliate link.vanilla
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml whipping cream or double cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325F/160C.
- Grease 2-8″ round cake pans and line the bottoms with greased parchment paper. Set aside.
Chocolate layers
- In a saucepan heat stout, coffee and butter together until the mixture comes to a gentle simmer, add cocoa powder while whisking continuously to avoid lumps until smooth. Set aside to cool.
- Blend flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a different bowl. Mix eggs, vanilla and creme fraiche with an electric mixer in bowl no 3.
- Now check on your chocolate mixture and make sure it’s cool enough to continue the process.
- Add the chocolate mixture to the egg and creme fraiche mixture and blend them together.
- Add flour mixture a little bit a time and beat on low speed until combined. Pour into the pan and level.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 min. Always test your cakes for doneness with a toothpick or a cake taster. Cool on a wire rack.
Spiced Pumpkin layers
- Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Then add oil, sugar and eggs, beat well to combine.
- Add pumpkin and mix for 2-3 minutes until well incorporated.
- Pour into the cake pan and level. Bake at 325 F/160C for 25-30 min, cool on a wire rack.
Sugar syrup for drizzling
- Mix sugar syrup with sloe gin or any other liqueur of your choice.
Maple Cinnamon Mascarpone Frosting
- Whip cold mascarpone until light, which will take no longer than 30 seconds, add pure maple syrup and icing sugar, beat until well incorporated for 30 seconds longer.
- Add cinnamon, vanilla and whipping cream. Whip for 2 minutes until stiff.
Assemble the cake
- When the cakes are cooled, split each layer in half. Brush each layer with some sugar syrup.
- Divide Maple Cinnamon Frosting into 4 parts.
- Stack the layers on top of each other so chocolate and pumpkin layers interchange. Fill the layers with 3/4 of Maple Cinnamon frosting.
- Then cover the entire cake with your crumb coat using the frosting from the part you'd set aside. Chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
- Then cover the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate with flowers if desired or leave it plain. Alternatively, you can lightly dust the cake with a touch of cinnamon.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made this for Thanksgiving here in the US and it turned out beautifully. I had read the comments about the frosting so I did seek out a more expensive marscapone at a specialty cheese store to ensure it didn’t separate. No issues at all. Beautiful cake — was a huge hit.
Thank you so much for sharing that and Happy Thanksgiving!! 🙂
Hi .. sorry if this question has already been covered by others.
The pumpkin purée is it fresh or tinned? If fresh is it pre cooked and cooled?
Many thanks .. going to give the recipe a try this weekend.
Hi Linda, pumpkin puree is cooked. I made my own by roasting pumpkin and then blending it in a food processor. You can also used tinned but it’s not very easy to find in the UK. I think Ocado and Waitrose carry them occasionally. Good luck with the cake!
Thank you for this recipe. The presentation looks grand and with these ingredients it is sure-fire pleaser! Regarding marscapone, usually it is overbeating or treating the cheese like a heavy cream, which it is not, that causes the curdling. For people finding it difficult to achieve smooth consistency, try hand whisking marscapone instead of beating with an electric mixer. Then, combine the whipped cream with the marscapone by gently folding. I have used marscapone as a base for light airy frosting multiple times without a problem. It was how I was taught to get that smooth finish. This technique may help others.
Thanks for your tip, Janis!
Hi, I just made this cake for a party we went to – it was fantastic – the only thing I did different was making a cream cheese maple frosting since I was sure about the consistency as mentioned above. I loved the texture of the cake – I made it one day, refrigerated and served the next – it melded perfectly! I’m sure I will make it again!
Thanks for the excellent feedback, Deb, so pleased you loved the cake!
I made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out spectacularly. All my guests raved. I’m in the US and the frosting was perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
Thank you so much for letting me know, Deb!!! I am so pleased to hear that the recipe does work in the US. 🙂
I absolutely love this recipe. Both times I’ve made it I’ve had questions about where I bought the cake it is that good.
I’ve made this icing a number of times and it’s turned into my go-to for cakes as it’s so much lighter than a buttercream and isn’t overpoweringly sweet. I’m in the U.K and have never had any of the issues mentioned in some of the comments so don’t let them keep you from experiencing the amazingnes that this cake is. I would just encourage you to try and find the best ingredients that you can if you’re in the U.S, I’ll have to give the icing a shot when I’m in Canada over the holidays and see if I notice a difference in how it turns out.
Thanks for another amazing recipe!
My cakes are cool, and I’m ready to make the frosting…but it doesn’t say which attachment to use for the mixer. Whisk or paddle? I’m assuming paddle, but don’t want to have to go buy more mascarpone…This may be part of the reason why some people had theirs break(curdle). Which should I use?
So, I couldn’t wait for your reply, and I did everything exactly as directed by your instructions. Everything was very cold, straight out of the fridge, and it started to separate about 1 min after adding the cream. I almost whipped it separately first, not sure why you don’t do that. Mind you, I’m a very experienced baker, and I have my own confections company(28,000 caramels last year alone) and I know what I’m doing. Pretty bummed I won’t have dessert for tomorrow. Next time I will go with my gut, and fold the whipped cream in to the frosting. Thanks.
Hi Taylor, I am located in England with a 5-8 hours time difference depending on your time zone, so I was probably sleeping when your comment came. As I have commented before I use Italian mascarpone that does not separate, in fact I have NEVER seen mascarpone separate and I buy and use it regularly in sweet and savoury dishes. I am not sure if American process of making it is different or perhaps it’s the additives to cream that are the culprit. Dozens of my readers have used this frosting recipe with the same result. This recipe was published in the biggest dessert magazine in Germany Sweet Dreams, it was tested by professional bakers with stellar results. I always use a whisk attachement for whipping frosting. That being said you should definitely “go with your gut”.
This was honestly the best cake I have ever made. That chocolate cake is the best I’ve ever had on it’s own, and combined with the pumpkin cake it all was just divine. I multiplied the recipe by 1.25 to accommodate 9 in pans because that’s all I had and it worked perfectly. Multiplied the frosting by 1.5 though and glad I did. I am in the US and didn’t have a problem with the frosting. Both cream and mascarpone were chilled, and I only whipped it together for a few minutes. Absolutely delicious and definitely the cake to make if you want it to be awe-inspiring
Thank you so much for reporting back, Lydia! I am so pleased to hear you’ve had success with the frosting being the US! Happy Thanksgiving! 🙂